A correlation of descriptive writing skills and academic performance in Basic English of freshman BSN students / 6
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Orlando M. Viar.
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- xv, 114 pages 28 cm.
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Thesis (M.A.)-- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2004.;A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Arts, Sciences and Education in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Education, Educational Management.
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ABSTRACT: The study aimed to determine the descriptive skills of freshman BSN students of the Pamantasan ng Pasig during the Academic Year 2003-2004. The researcher used the purposive sampling technique. A sample of 100 freshman BSN students was used. These were students who got 1.25 to 2.00 from Basic English. A Checklist-Point System Questionnaire was adapted. The evaluation looked into the patterns of students' descriptions. It contained 75 points which were distributed in three criteria and each comprised of 25 points. The researcher used descriptive and expository methods of research in obtaining the data needed. The mean was computed Weighted mean was used to determine the weaknesses of the students' descriptive writing skills. Ranking was also used to determine the relative importance of one item in relation to other items, particularly to identify the students' weaknesses according to subject matter, content, and organization and structure. A percentage and frequency distribution were used to determine the frequency of responses Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient or Pearson r was utilized in order to determine the degree of relationships between the academic performance of the students in Basic English and the assessment of the teachers in their descriptive writing skills. Then to test its significance, t-test was employed for a clear examination of the data. The study aimed to assess the following questions: 1. What is the academic performance of the freshman BSN college students in their Basic English for the first semester of AY 2003-2004? 2. What are the teachers' assessments of the students' descriptive writing profile in terms of: (a) Subject Matter? (b) Content? (c) Organization and Structure? 3. What are the identified weaknesses of the students' descriptive writing profile in terms of the above variables? 4. Is there a significant relationship between the students' academic performance in their Basic English and the teachers' assessments of their descriptive writing skills? 5. Based on the findings, how may the Basic English curriculum be enhanced? Hypothesis: The hypothesis formulated in studying the teachers' assessment of the students' descriptive writing profile used .05 alpha confidence level. It showed that: There is no significant relationship between the students' academic performance in Basic English and the teachers' assessment of the students' descriptive writing in terms of: (a) Subject matter (b) Content (c) Organization and Structure The study showed the academic performance of the students in Basic English ranged from 1.25 to 2.00 in which majority of the students obtained a grade of 2.00. The mean obtained by the students in Basic English was 1.79 with an interpretation of Very Good. The descriptive performance writing skills of the students as assessed by the teachers ranged from 1.00 to 5.00 in which majority of the students obtained a grade of 1.00. The mean of the students in descriptive writing was 1.61 which was higher than their performance in Basic English. This was interpreted as Very Good. The highest grade the students received in Basic English was 1.25 while in descriptive writing they got 1.00. The lowest grade obtained by the students as assessed by the teachers based on their descriptive writing skills showed their better performance. The correspondence between the two variables, the students' grades in Basic English and their grades in descriptive writing was given by the correlation coefficient r of 0.36 which was interpreted as small correlation or low relationship. This was greater than the required value of r (0.19) at 0.05 level of significance. The computed t-value (3.82) suggested rejection of the null hypothesis due to the fact that it exceeded the tabular t-value (1.96) at 0.05 significance level. This may mean that the correlation coefficient r was significant. Therefore, there was a significant relationship between the students' academic performance in their Basic English and the teachers' assessment of their descriptive writing skills. This indicated that the descriptive writing skills of the respondents were significantly related to the Basic English subject to a certain extent, they were low or small. This indicated that the achievement or performance in Basic English somehow influenced the performance of the students in descriptive writing. Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, the following recommendations are set forth: 1. There is a need to improve the Basic English curriculum. Emphasis must be given to reading and writing. 2. Teachers have to use scoring rubrics in giving feedback on students' compositions. Students are also encouraged to use scoring rubrics to find their own strengths and weaknesses in writing. 3. Teachers have to use different teaching strategies in writing. They are encouraged to use innovative and creative materials in teaching. 4. A seminar-workshop may be conducted to pre-service and in-service teachers so that they could know how to use the rubrics, and different teaching strategies in writing. 5. A parallel study should be considered in wider perspectives or in other areas of specialization to determine the generality of findings across students as well as teachers. 6. The administrators are likewise requested to be generous in supplying the library with various materials and references for students to read.